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P. G. GARDINER.

Ore Amalgamator.

No. 9,769. v Patented June 7,4853.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

P. G. GARDINER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ARRANGEMENT OF QUARTZ-PULVERIZERS AND GOLD-AMALGAMATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,769, dated June '7, 1853.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, P. G. GARDINER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinery for Pulverizing and lVashing Quartz or Ore and for Amalgamating the Gold Contained Therein; and I do hereby declare a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, is an elevation of a machine constructed according to my improvements. Fig. 2, is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3, is a plan of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures.

The nature of my invention consists in the arrangement of a pulverizing and an amalgamating basin with a screen interposed between them the said basins being attached to the same shaft and operating together.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, is the frame of the machine, in the lower part of which is supported the driving-shaft, B,-which. occupies a vertical position, and receives motion through a belt pulley, C, from any prime mover. The upper end of the shaft is forked to receive a block, D, of metal, which is pivoted to it by a pivot, f, passing transversely through the axis of the shaft.

E, is the lower or amalgamating basin, which is intended to be of cast iron, of oircular form, and has a hub, a, projecting some distance from the inside of the bottom, which receives the shaft, F, on which it is firmly secured.

G, is the inner or crushing basin, which is so formed as to make a trough or channel, M, all around its bottom to receive the ball. The raised circular part, II, of the basin within the trough, rests upon a number of bearing pieces, I), b, which stand up from the bottom of the basin, E, and it has a hub, c, which fits to the shaft and rests on the hub, a. The two basins are secured to each other and to the shaft by any suitable means. The raised circular part, H,

that the following is of the basin, G, is open; the hub being merely united to the trough by radial arms, and the opening is covered by a screen, L.

The upper end of the shaft, F, is suspended at a fixed point; the suspension may be made with any joint which will admit of its turning freely in any direction. I have adopted a hook, 0?, and eye, 6, as being the simplest and easiest of construction. -The lower end of the shaft is connected by a crank to the shaft, B. This crank, instead of being a bar or block rigidly connected to the two shafts, consists of a rod, I, which is fitted to work freely in a hole made in the block, D, at right angles to the pivots, f; at one end, is pivoted a metal box, J, which is bored to receive a journal, 11, on the lower end of the shaft, F. A spring, 9, is applied between the block, D, and a shoulder near that end of the rod, I, to which the shaft, F, is connected; and another spring, h, is applied between the said block and a shoulder at the opposite end of the rod; both these springs exert their force bypushing from the block.

The ball, K, may be of solid cast iron, or, for convenience of transportation, may consist of a hollow cast iron shell, which may be filled with the heaviest available materials.

The operation of the machine is as follows :The quartz, ore, or auriferous mineral, after being broken into small pieces, is fed, in a suitable quantity to the basin, G, and is there subjected to the action of the ball, K. which fits to the trough or channel, M, in such a way as to leave room for some of the matter under and at the sides of the hall, where it is submitted to a crushing and grinding operation. The stream of water which is let into the trough, G, washes up all the finely pulverized particles, and carries them through the screen, L, where there is a constant overflow, to the basin,.

E, containing the mercury. In the latter basin, a constant agitation is kept up by the peculiar motion imparted to it; and by it, every particle of the gold or metal is brought into contact with the mercury and amalgamated with it; while the quartz or other foreign mineral matter is washed away by the constant overflow, at the lowest part of the edge of the basin, E. The amalgam is withdrawn from the basin, through a suitable valve or trap in any part of the bottom.

The ball, K, owing to the constant change in the position of the lowest portion of the basin, moves on a horizontal plane, in a circle described from the imaginary central axis around which the axis of the basin moves, and thus acquires centrifugal force, which tends to throw the lowest side of the basins from the center. This centrifugal force is in a certain degree, but not perfectly, counteracted by the gravity of the ball, which tends to lengthen the crank, while the centrifugal force tends to shorten it. The shortening of the crank reduces the extent of the motion of the basin, and lessens the inclination of the plane down which it may be said to be descending, and thus arrests the centrifugal tendency. The springs, g, and, h, admit of the lengthening and shortening of the crank, and hold it at a desirable length, when not otherwise unduly influenced, and also serve to prevent shocks to the machine in stopping and starting.

I will here remark that the lower end of the shaft, F, may be attached at a fixed point, and the upper end may be attached to a crank; and thus will give a motion to the basins, similar to the arrangement shown.

Having thus described my invention, I will proceed to state what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The arrangement of the vibrating pulverizing basin and amalgamating basin attached thereto with the screen interposed between the two, said basins being connected to the same shaft and constructed and operating as described.

P. G. GARD INER. Witnesses N. Looxwoon, H. A. LUTTGENS. 

